1. Field of Use
This invention relates generally to apparatus for vacuum collection and compacting of leaves and grass clippings into bags. In particular it relates to such apparatus which can be used independently or which can be combined with a power lawnmower or which can be towed by a vehicle such as a garden tractor.
2. Description of the Prior Art
At present, the grass clippings after being cut by a lawnmower or a mower/tractor wherein small collecting bags which then need to be carried to the corner of the street and emptied, or in the areas where this is not allowed need rebagging in disposable plastic bags. Depending on the size of the lot or yard this is quite a lengthy and time-consuming process, and takes most of the time that is spent by the homeowner, usually on valuable weekends. The same applies to grass-catching trailers that are attached behind mower tractors. Not only are the trailers bulky, but after they have been filled, much time and effort is needed to empty the trailer or bag its contents.
These problems multiply and become enormous in the fall when it is the leaf-collecting time, because leaves are voluminous and, because of their curly and irregular shape, a small amount of them takes up a large space. In communities that require bagging of leaves, not only a lot of time is spent to rake and bag them, but also for the aforementioned reasons of being space-consuming objects, it requires many bags and could account for days and days of work, depending on the size of the lot. In communities that do not require bagging, the leaves often must be piled near the street because the streets cannot be narrowed or obstructed. This creates a few problems including the destruction of the lawn, since it sometimes takes over a week for the city collectors to come and take the leaves and during this period the lawn deteriorates, sometimes badly. And when they collect the leaves, they do not collect them completely and a lot of leaves still remain on the lawn which requires further raking and cleaning. Also, during this period of waiting, particularly during stormy days, the leaves can be blown back onto the raked grass, or onto a neighbor's lot and very often into the street which is against the ideal concept of a clean city. Also, because these leaves are collected at different locations of the lot, this is unsightly.
Various types of machines have been developed to vacuum and bag lawn clippings and leaves. Some such machines are combined with power lawnmowers. Others are simply employed independently to clean up leaves or clippings from previous mowing. The following U.S. patents illustrate the state of the art: U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,984,893; 3,846,963; 3,732,574; 3,664,099; 3,058,284. However, all of the prior art machines of which applicant is aware do not include any means to compact the collected clippings and leaves after collection and, therefore, the problems of unnecessarily frequent bag-emptying and under-utilization of expensive plastic bags still remain.